3 months!
Super Baby
Originally uploaded by queentassone. Today was Rowan's three month birthday. It feels like forever! As my aunt said, it's impossible to conceive of a time when he didn't exist. It's been a difficult 3 months but so incredibly wonderful.
We took Rowan to a doctor today, who verified that Rowan is doing great. He weighs 12 lbs. 3 oz., almost exactly double his birth weight, and is 4 inches taller! Length doesn't seem like the right measurement.. he stays pretty much upright most of the time except when he's nursing or sleeping and LOVES standing up. His legs have been strong enough to support his weight, at least momentarily, for a long time but his stabilizers and balance have yet to catch up. He can't wait to be independently mobile!
These days Rowan is interested in handling toys and other objects, chewing on his fingers, and vocalizing for fun and communicative purposes, along with nursing on demand. He sleeps in my bed, often for more than 10 hours a night with 4-6 at a stretch between feedings. He often gets upset when left alone, for example on the changing table when I go to wash my hands, but then other times he can sit alone in bed and stare fixedly at the ceiling fan for minutes at a time. He enjoys being carried facing out so he can see what's going on, and I have finally gotten a couple carriers to wear him that way. He also gets overstimulated that way and though he doesn't know it, likes being worn facing in to wind down and go to sleep.
We have started swimming lessons for Rowan. He's the youngest baby in the Mommy and Me classes and does very well, seeming to enjoy the water at times. He really enjoys riding on a kickboard - and he looks just like a surfer cruising for a good wave!
We've gotten lots of comments on his purple mouth over the past months. After having his tongue-tie lasered, pumping and using a Haberman feeder, and manually retraining tongue thrusting, I discovered thrush spots in his mouth and we've been battling the candida ever since, often with the gentian violet that everyone comments on. The doctor today didn't see any thrush and said we could stop using the gentian violet so hopefully there will be no more recurrences! (please God!)
I made Rowan laugh for the first time a couple days ago by making chomping noises while bouncing him towards me and nuzzling his neck. He laughed repeatedly with this amazing delighted wide-mouth smile on his face the first couple times but lately has not been as tickled. I haven't found anything else to make him laugh but it was an incredible treat. He knows my voice and that when I take my shirt off he's gonna get to eat, but by no means does just having mom make everything alright. It makes some things better but there are plenty of things I can do or not do that either upset him or don't make him stop being upset. Today was a very good day, non-upset-wise, I think maybe because he got lots of attention and a fair amount of napping.
Rowan hasn't seemed to be very interested in other babies, but is often delighted to see himself in the mirror. He's been called a flirt by other moms and will even run his little charmer routine on his own reflection. Sometimes he will stop crying or screaming to flirt with himself in the mirror, sometimes he will merely study the reflection and sometimes he will even talk and laugh with himself.
I have been trying to learn about EC (elimination communication) as a means of potty training. A family friend told me that in China there is no such thing as potty training because parents just hold the babies over the potty when they need to go so there is nothing to train - they just do that themselves when they don't need to be held there any more. Apparently parents (in China and elsewhere) are able to learn their baby's cues for elimination and take them to do their business on the john rather than in a diaper. I thought I had figured something out and was going to get Rowan to poop on the potty before his 3 month birthday but it didn't work out. Yesterday I took him to the potty in the morning after eating in case he was going to poop. He didn't, but when I picked him up the diaper I'd used to shield his other end was wet and so was the seat so he did pee on the potty before his 3 month birthday! He was very confused by the whole affair.
I am so glad I have little videos from his first month (and after) - he changes so much, so fast that I hardly can remember what he used to look like or feel like. I have put up a couple of these videos on youtube for others to enjoy and will post more from time to time.